Wheel assembly of exercise machine capable of presetting resistance parameters

ABSTRACT

A wheel assembly of an exercise machine includes a base having a fixed disk. A flywheel is provided on the base. A damper, which is provided on the fixed disk, has a displacement mechanism and a magnet assembly connected to the displacement mechanism and moved by the displacement mechanism toward or away from the flywheel. A motor is provided on the fixed disk and connected to the displacement mechanism for adjusting a position of the magnet assembly. A control circuit, which has a processor, an angle sensor connected to the processor and a memory, is connected to the motor and the damper to sense the position of the magnet assembly and control the motor driving the displacement mechanism to adjust the position of the magnet assembly. Therefore, the memory stores resistance parameters of presetting the magnet assembly acting on the flywheel to achieve the presetting function.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates, generally to an exercise machine, and more particularly to a wheel assembly of an exercise machine which may preset the resistance parameters.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional exercise machines include indoor bike, which is equipped with a resistance wheel 70, as shown in FIG. 6. The resistance wheel 70 includes a motor 71 driving a cable pulling device 72. The cable pulling device 72 pulls a magnet (not shown) through a cable 74 to adjust a distance between the magnet and a flywheel 76 that changes the resistance of the flywheel.

To adjust the resistance of the conventional resistance wheel 70, the magnet is moved through the motor 71, the cable pulling device 72 and the cable 74 that cannot provides a precise control. Therefore, the minimum pulling force of the cable pulling device 72 is adjusted by a screw 78 to generate different pulling distances and get a minimum torque. The motor is electrically connected to an electronic control panel for control of the motor.

The conventional resistance wheel provides the motor moving the magnet through the cable 74. The magnet is mounted on a frame of the flywheel 76 and the motor is mounted on a base of the resistance wheel, therefore it has to adjust the torque after the resistance wheel is made. Typically, the resistance wheel is put on an adjusting machine for adjustment of torque that is a long time and heavy loading job with no help in production. The conventional resistance wheel could not preset the pulling force or preset the parameters of pulling force before the resistance wheel is assembled. Besides, the cable is flexible and the screw 78 provides a single point adjustment (zero point adjustment), therefore there is no chance to provide a precise adjustment of pulling force by the cable 74.

In addition, after we adjust the pulling force to a correct value, it has to input the values of the pulling force and angle into the memory of the electronic control panel to complete the setting process. The electronic control panel is separated from the resistance wheel with a wire connected therebetween, so that the torque set goes incorrect and the control of the pulling force goes incorrect when any one of the electronic control panel, the cable pulling device, the screw or the cable is damaged or replaced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a wheel assembly of an exercise machine, which preset resistance parameters.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a wheel assembly of an exercise machine, which may control the resistance precisely.

The third objective of the present invention is to provide a wheel assembly of an exercise machine, which the set of the resistance parameters will not affected by the damage or replacement of any element.

According to the objectives of the present invention, a wheel assembly of an exercise machine includes a base having a fixed disk. A flywheel is provided on the base. A damper, which is provided on the fixed disk, has a displacement mechanism and a magnet assembly connected to the displacement mechanism and moved by the displacement mechanism toward or away from the flywheel. A motor is provided on the fixed disk and connected to the displacement mechanism for adjusting a position of the magnet assembly. A control circuit, which has a processor, an angle sensor connected to the processor and a memory, is connected to the motor and the damper to sense the position of the magnet assembly and control the motor driving the displacement mechanism to adjust the position of the magnet assembly. Therefore, the memory stores resistance parameters of presetting the magnet assembly acting on the flywheel to achieve the presetting function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view in parts of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the control circuit;

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are top views of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the actions of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the conventional wheel assembly of an indoor bike.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a wheel assembly 10 of a bike of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a base 11, a flywheel 21, a damper 31, a motor 41, and a control circuit 51.

The base 11 has an upright frame pole 12, a fixed disk 14 on the frame pole 12.

The flywheel 21 is provided on the frame pole 12 of the base 11. In the present invention, the flywheel 21 and the fixed disk 14 has the same rotation of axis.

The damper 31, which is mounted on the fixed disk 14, includes a displacement mechanism 32 and a magnet assembly 36 on the displacement mechanism 32. The magnet assembly 36 includes two curved magnetic plates 37, each of which has an end pivotally connected to the fixed plate 14 and a free end corresponding to a circumference of the fixed plate 14. The displacement mechanism 32 includes a knob 33 and two links 34. The knob 33 has an elongated body 331 through the fixed disk 14, a connecting block 332 on a tail end of the body 331 and two connecting arms 333 at opposite sides thereof. The links 34 have opposite ends pivotally connected to free ends of the connecting arms 333 respectively and the free ends of the curved magnetic plates 37. The curved magnetic plates 37 are moved toward or away from the flywheel 21 by turning the knob 33 to move the links 34.

The motor 41 is mounted on the fixed disk 14 and connected to a gear box 44, which connected to the connecting block 332 of the displacement mechanism 32. The motor 41 drives the gear box 44 to turn the knob for moving the curved magnetic plates 37 that may adjust the positions of the curved magnetic plates 37.

The control circuit 51 has a processor 52, an angle sensor 53 connected to the processor 52 and a memory 54. The control circuit 51 is connected to the motor 41 and the damper 31 to sense the positions of the magnet assembly 36 and control the motor 41 to adjust the positions of the magnet assembly 36 through the displacement mechanism 32. The angle sensor 53 is a variable resistance corresponding and connected to the knob 33. The memory is an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM) with a contrast table therein of relationship of the angle of the knob 33 and the resistance generated by the magnet assembly 36.

The action of the present invention is that the control circuit 51 drives the motor 41 to control the rotation angle of the knob. The rotation angle of the knob 33 controls movements of the curved magnetic plates 37 relative to the flywheel 21 through the links 34 that may change the resistance acting on the flywheel 21. The present invention may generate a table of relationship of resistance and angle by pre-adjustment of the resistance parameters and stores it in the memory 54. As shown FIG. 4, when the curved magnetic plates 37 are moved to outer positions, in which edges of the curved magnetic plates 37 are even with the circumference of the fixed disk 14, the curved magnetic plates 37 are proximal to the flywheel 21 (referring to FIG. 1) to provide greatest resistance. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 5, when the curved magnetic plates 37 are moved to inner positions, the curved magnetic plates 37 are distal to the flywheel 21 to provide smallest resistance.

With the structure of the present invention, the motor 41 is connected to the knob 33 through the gear box 44 that there is no drawback of the conventional device because of the flexibility of the cable. The knob 33 is connected to the curved magnetic plates 37 directly that there is no error in transmission. In other words, the relationship of the angle of the knob 33 and the resistance acting on the flywheel 21 by the curved magnetic plates 37 may be pre-adjusted through the resistance parameters that provide the table of the relationship of angle and the resistance stored in the memory 54 to achieve the function of preset of the resistance parameters. In real operation, it may use the content of the table in the memory 54 to control the resistance.

Besides, the present invention provides a more precise control of the pulling force of the curved magnetic plates that provides a precise set of the resistance.

All of the elements relative to the resistance control are fixed firmly. The present invention has no screw and cable of the prior art. It is more important that when the motor or motor controller is damaged and replaced, the present invention may use the original table to have the set setting without adjustment again.

The description above is a few preferred embodiments of the present invention and the equivalence of the present invention is still in the scope of the claim of the present invention. 

1. A wheel assembly of an exercise machine, comprising: a base having a fixed disk; a flywheel provided on the base; a damper, which is provided on the fixed disk, having a displacement mechanism and a magnet assembly connected to the displacement mechanism and moved by the displacement mechanism toward or away from the flywheel; a motor provided on the fixed disk and connected to the displacement mechanism for adjusting a position of the magnet assembly; and a control circuit, which has a processor, an angle sensor connected to the processor and a memory, connected to the motor and the damper to sense the position of the magnet assembly and control the motor driving the displacement mechanism to adjust the position of the magnet assembly.
 2. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the motor is connected to a gear box, and the magnet assembly of the damper includes two curved magnetic plates with ends pivoted on the disk and free ends even with a circumference of the fixed disk, and the displacement mechanism includes a knob with an elongated body through the fixed disk, a connecting block on a tail end of the body and two connecting arms on opposite sides and two links with opposite ends pivoted on distal ends of the connecting arms and the free ends of the curved magnetic plates.
 3. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein the angle sensor is a variable resistance corresponding and connected to the knob.
 4. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein the memory is a nonvolatile memory storing a table of a relationship of an angle of the knob and a resistance therein.
 5. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the base has an upright frame pole, on which the fixed disk is mounted. 